We were fortunate enough to have received tickets to BBC Radio 1’s Hackney Weekend on the Saturday of this past weekend. The atmosphere was alive and typical of a good British festival. We were also impressed by the general atmosphere in and around Hackney itself, not to mention the huge plethora of different restaurants we saw on the way there sporting everything from Nigerian to Lebanese cuisine.

Not to be too distracted by the likes of Nicki Minaj, Jay Z and the rest of them on show, we could not help but scope out the arena for some tasty foodie goodness!

I opted for some Steak and Halloumi – Greek Style! There was all sorts of nasty burgers and chips about the place, so this place stood out as something alternative to the greasy regulars. I was not jus me that had the idea as this place had the longest queue of any other vendor in the area by far!

For a handsome £5.50, a ciabatta bread was laden with Steak and Halloumi, topped off with some shallots and smothered in a yogurt and mint dressing. The whole thing was deeply refreshing and just what any weary festival goer might need as a pick-me-up.

Nina went for an even more exotic choice of… Ostrich BBQ. Yes, a huge great chunk of BBQ’d Ostrich, slap in the middle of a bun.

What an interesting flavour this was. We have long wanted to try the ones in Borough Market, but have never really got around to it. With a tick in the Ostrich box of weird foods to try, we can safely say that it is both tasty and fulfilling. To compare it to something, think steak and chicken hybrid.

I love fruity deserts, particularly lemon ones. This lemon tart, or as you may prefer to call it, tarte au citron, is the perfect end to any heavy meal. I loosely follow baking genius, Mary Berry’s recipe.

Ingredients for pastry

175g plain flour

100g cold butter

25g icing sugar

1 egg yolk

1tsp orange or apple juice

Ingredients for lemon filling

5 eggs

125ml double cream

225g caster sugar

Juice and zest of 4 lemons

Tbsp lemon curd (optional)

Icing sugar for dusting

Method

To make the food processor either rub the flour, butter and icing sugar until it looks like breadcrumbs or use a food processor, then add the yolk and juice (you can use water instead of juice)

Knead your pastry and leave it to chill for 15 minutes in the fridge in clingfilm or foil

The Garden House is a delicious and reasonably priced restaurant café in the historical city of Rochester near to where we live in Kent. I had lunched here before with a friend and we were both very impressed, so when in Rochester again and looking for a lunch time treat, I knew where to go.

The inside is very cosy, with around 6 tables in total. It can be hard to get in but we were very lucky. The shelves in the restaurant are filled with delicious Italian produce for sale, sources and pastas we had seen in small delis in Rome.

The menu is quite vast for a cafe and features open sandwiches, paninis, soups and salads, there is something for everyone. The Garden House also has a fantastic and reasonably priced set menu, 2 courses for £8.95, this is what we decided to go for.

I started with a delicious vine ripened tomato and basil soup, it was simply fantastic and much better than my own tomato soup.

Toby went for homemade hummus and olives, the home made hummus was fantastic.

On to the mains, I went for cold poached salmon with salad and potatoes and a delicious honey mustard dressing. The salad was spectacular. Sometimes I feel that Salads leave me disappointed and wanting more, but this was SO satisfying. The salmon portion was very generous too.

Toby went for a buffalo mozzarella salad with a pesto dressing. Again, the portion sizes were great and the mozzarella was so fresh and unlike any we have tasted in this country before.

We washed this down with a glass of pinot grigio, perfect. I would highly recommend The Garden Cafe and a visit to Rochester, the city (it has a Cathedral!) has a great deal of history to offer.

We much prefer a starter to a desert (though frequently have all three courses). This is a quick, easy and impressive starter if served in individual ramekins, a tasty lunch or a buffet/mezze style starter. Hummus is everywhere at the moment, on restaurant and bar menus, we put a spin on it with butter beans rather than chick peas as the main ingredient.

Ingredients

1 tin of Butterbans

2 cloves of Garlic

1 Beetroot

Garlic oil

Fresh chives

Granary pita breads

Garlic oil

Salt and Pepper

Method

Drain the butterbeans, but leave a little excess liquid in the can

Empty into a food processor

Add two cloves of garlic and start the food processor

After about thirty seconds, start adding the garlic oil until the mixture becomes thick and smooth

Add the chives so that there is a smattering of green in your mix

Keep whizzing until the mix is smooth and not too watery – just like the consistency of hummus!

Chop the beetroot into small chunks and then fold into the mix. Fold gently – do not stir madly as you do not want the Beetroot to completely mix with the butterbeans

Decanter into a serving bowl or ramekins and then straight to the table, or to keep in the fridge for a day or two

Cut the pita chips into little squares / triangles / whatever shapes you want, but make sure you separate the two sides. You should also remove any pappy soft clumps that might be in the middle.

Arrange these on a baking tray evenly and cover (or spray) with your oil and then season to taste. Salt and pepper work a treat, but you might want to be a bit more adventurous. Bake at 170°C until chip-like (about 15 – 20 minutes)

This is a great cheap and easy starter that is bound to impress with its festive colours, rich textures and soft flavours.

Whiting and Hammond are a delightful chain of delicious pubs expanding throughout the Kent area. We have eaten at The Chaser in Shipbourne, The Cricketers in Meopham and now the Little Brown Jug in Tunbridge Wells.

The Little Brown Jug has a fantastic warm and welcoming atmosphere, like stepping into someone’s front room. They boast a wide range of beers and ciders on tap and an extensive wine collection.

I decided to go for the Carrot and Coriander soup, I was once told that if a restaurant cannot get a soup right then it is probably best not to eat anything else, this soup was delicious!

Toby had a mezze platter of homemade hummus, tzatziki and olive mayonaise with homemade pita, another tasty choice.

I decided to go for a vegetable casserole with dumplings for my main, it felt like a winter treat which was great given the wet and windy conditions when we were there.

We were in the area of Leeds Castle for a meeting, and of course searched around for somewhere to grab some lunch. We had heard of The Dirty Habit on the grapevine and have frequented some other locations of the Elite Pubs group with great admiration for the atmosphere, food and picturesque locations of these foodie pubs.

Inside is as cliché British pub as you could hope to find, there are bits of dead animals on the wall and the whole ambiance draws you into the fantastic atmosphere that would be welcoming to any hungry foodie, whether it was a bright sunny June day or a freezing, dreary and generally horrible… June day.

I was torn between the Burger and the Steak Sandwich, but my Love for brie got the better of me and I went for the Steak, Somerset brie, caramelised onions Sandwich. It changed my life. The picture says everything I ever could about how damn delicious this thing was!

Nina went for the less interesting Fish finger sandwich with tartar sauce. This was nothing compared to the steak in my humble opinion, but a fine mid-day feast none the less.

Both sandwiches were served on a delightful wooden serving board with sumptuous chips and a side salad.

We also opted for a Pea, broad bean & pea shoot salad to accompany the tasty tasty lunch. This was a refreshing and contrasting accompaniment to the heavy sandwiches.

As per usual, I went for a Black Coffee afterwards to round off, but the coffee gets a mention here because of the home made Madeline that came with it. This is a shocker as the biscuits that normally come with Coffee are the lowest of the low, but this was a very pleasant surprise!

If you are in the area of The Dirty Habit, you must give it a go! Reviews pending on the other of the Elite Pubs, but rest assured, they are all top quality foodie dwellings.